Asking recruiter questions

Question

I was recently contacted by a recruiter from a large tech company who offered to give me some additional details about a position he is hiring and thinks that I am appropriate for. I told him that I'm very interested in the company, but I'm not sure that I'll apply right now but I don't mind hearing details about the company/position. During our conversation I asked him a few questions and in the end I told him that I won't apply right now because I don't feel that now is the right time for me to switch jobs, but I hope that he won't mind if I contact him again in the future.

I'm pretty inexperienced dealing with recruiters (I haven't switched jobs so far) so I apologize if the question sounds too silly, but did I blow my chance to be hired by this company? Asking questions and not applying seems a little rude to me and I will be really disappointed if they look down on my application in the future due to this communication with the recruiter.

Answer 1

1. You were polite.
2. You said that you are interested, but it is not the right moment for you

What do you think the person at the other end of the phone thinks?

I can tell you - that you are a polite person. Perhaps in the future may be a better time for him to apply.

There is no negativity here. So do not worry.

Answer 2

I've spent 25 years dealing with recruiters, and to me you did just fine. Here are some things to think about.

Recruiters are salespeople. Salespeople are told no all the time; it's part of the job. They don't mind it. If they did, they would be doing something else. If you have a marketable skill, then recruiters will be contacting you all the time, when jobs come up that need your skill. The fact that you kept it positive means that you also have good people skills, which is always a plus.

So, you're happy with the place you're working. That's another plus, because you'll probably be happy in the next job. You'd take a new job if it's the right opportunity. That's another plus, because you could mean a sale. Next time you talk to a recruiter, be rather candid about the sort of things that would motivate you to go to the trouble of leaving a job that you like for an unknown. Increased responsibilities, the opportunity to put more of your skills and talents to use, and of course money. (Money is a mixed bag, because you wouldn't take a job that made you miserable for twice the money you're making now. So all those other things are more important to you.)